


The Sea Calls to Us

by Short_Circuits



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Gen, Mermaids, Pirate AU, Pirates, To be added later?, i don’t know how to tag, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:48:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23500336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Short_Circuits/pseuds/Short_Circuits
Summary: A group of kids who call themselves the Hermits have grown up on the deck of their parents’ ship. Life is good. But one day 6 of them fall overboard, seemingly becoming lost at sea.But when the remaining Hermits return to the sea abord their own ship many purses later, they make a discovery that will reshape their memories of everything that happened on that fateful day.
Comments: 29
Kudos: 142





	1. Prologue - The Fateful Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A group of kids who call themselves the Hermits have grown up on the deck of their parents’ ship. Life is good. But one day 6 of them fall overboard, seemingly becoming lost at sea.
> 
> But when the remaining Hermits return to the sea abord their own ship many years later, they make a discovery that will reshape their memories of everything that happened on that fateful day.

The children ran across the deck of the Serenity, their laughter getting caught up in the same wind that was whipping through their hair and clothes. The ship acted as their own personal playground, all of them discovering new things to explore as they grew. When they were in the age range of 7-9, they had discovered they could climb the rigging, and when they had reached the range of 9-11 they had taken turns climbing to the top of the mast. There were 17 kids on the ship, all of them the children of the adult crew members. For the most part they had free reign on the ship, but that didn’t stop their parents preventing them from getting severely hurt. They had been out on the sea for 3 years, and during that time the 16 of them had become very close. 

They called themselves the Hermits, named after the little shelled crabs they would find in the fishing nets. The Hermits did everything together, and they all dreamed of owning their own ship together one day. 

There was Xisuma, or X, who was their self-elected leader. There was Joe, who spent most of his time writing stories. There was False, who was learning to use one of the plastic swords their parents used for practice. Then there was Etho, who insisted on wearing a mask that covered the lower half of his face. There was Tango, who’s eyes almost shone with amusement when he was excited. There was also Mumbo, who liked circuitry, and was also the only one in the group who knew how to put on a tie. There was Stress, who had an infectious giggle, and somehow managed to find flowers in the middle of the ocean. There was Grian, who always had a trick or two up his sleeve. There was Impulse, who tended to be the only responsible one, despite his protests. Then there was Scar, who always wore the same hat, and doted upon his stuffed cat, Jellie. Ren liked to make up stories and create characters who he’d pretend to be, insisting he’d never heard of this “Ren” person. There was Iskall, who had a talent for making people laugh. Doc was the oldest of the group, and also was the one who tried to keep some order when people got out of control. Cub was calm and collected most of the time, but there were times when he was explosive and unpredictable too. Cleo was great at improvisation, figuring out how to make pretty much anything out of just the things she could get her hands on from the ship. And finally there was Zedaph, who loved to act almost as much as Ren did, but he always acted as himself, coming up with little skits to do.

That day it was cool out, at least cool for the summer. It was also quite windy, but they didn’t pay any mind to it. They were off doing some game they’d made, but none of that mattered. The wind had started to pick up even more, so of course they stopped to lean over the railing and feel it blowing past them. They whooped and cheered as a pod of dolphins passed, and when it started to rain they were more than thrilled. They let it soak through their clothes, plastering their hair across their faces. It was only when the waves started to hit higher and higher up the side of the ship, rocking it softly back and forth, that they finally paused.

All of the crew was heading inside,, and a few of them were calling out for the Hermits to follow. They began to run along the rail to the stairs down, but they didn’t see one particularly large wave heading on a collision course for the Serenity. 

Well, they didn’t notice until it crashed over the side of the ship, pulling Stress, Scar, Ren, Impulse, Mumbo, and Joe overboard. Then they were all too aware.


	2. Chapter 1 - The First Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hermits are in charge of their own ship at last, but they get a small surprise one day while fishing. And nobody know what to make of it.

X leaned on the railing of the ship, taking in the ocean around them. He remembered the days when he dreamed of owning a ship and sailing around the world with his friends. When he was 6 he had fallen in love with the open ocean, and he’d worked as hard as he could for years to afford a ship of his own. Along with the other Hermits, they had managed to buy a small ship called the Legacy, which had a long history but did what it needed to. They had an 11 person crew, all of them growing up together on another ship with a much darker story. 

He sighed, turning around to face everything happening on the ship. The sail was up and they were sailing along smoothly, so for a short while everyone was relaxing. Cleo, False, Doc, and Bdubs were playing a card game that involved a lot of yelling, Tango, Zedaph, and Cub were eating some fish they had caught the other day. Etho, Iskall, and Grian were laughing about something on the other side of the deck about something X couldn’t hear. 

He smiled as he looked around at his crew, his friends. He would do anything to protect them, to keep them safe out in the dangerous ocean. Sometimes it meant he worked a bit harder when everyone else rested, or he worried a bit more. But it was worth it. He knew how quickly everything could go wrong when you didn’t pay attention. They all knew. It had been years, but he knew they were all on edge, if how quickly everyone came inside during storms was anything to go by. 

It had been years, but they missed their friends. And they couldn’t forget. They couldn’t forget how they had headed back for shore 6 months early, or how the devastated parents who had just lost their children had sworn off the ocean. Or how they had tried to convince the Hermits time and time again to not go to sea again.

But X couldn’t stay away. The others couldn’t either. They had felt a tie to the ocean, and so they had done everything within their power to return. They had worked double jobs, rented the smallest shacks to stay in, pulled any favors they could. And it was worth it. 

“Hey X, get over here!” It was Cleo, waving him over to join their game. He walked over and sat down, and he didn’t protest as a hand of cards were passed to him. Maybe he could do with a bit of a break.

Hours later, as the sun was about to set, they finally got up from their card game to go inside. Everyone headed to the kitchens, where they worked together to quickly prepare something to eat as they laughed and shoved each other around in the small space. The ship wasn’t made for that many people, but they made it work.

They made their way over to the dining table, sitting at the mismatched collection of chairs they’d gotten along the way. X sat in the same seat he always sat in, at the head of the table where the others forced him to sit. He may have held the title of captain on the ship, but he didn’t like to feel like he was above the others, because he wasn’t. They ate together, worked together, lived together. And it was perfect that way.

Once they finished eating, the sun had long since set, and the stars were out, covering the sky in a soft shimmering light. Most of the crew headed inside to their rooms to rest, including X, but Iskall, Doc, and Tango headed back outside. They mumbled something about pulling in the last net, but X didn’t worry about it. They could handle themselves. 

He began to doze off, sleep overtaking his consciousness, when the door to his quarters flew open with a bang. Iskall stood in the doorway, out of breath and looking shocked. He motioned for X to follow him, and he shot up, quickly running after Iskall. They reached the deck of the ship, which a pile of nets sat, something large writhing and twisting in them. X couldn’t get a good look, but it was definitely too big to be a fish. He was scared to ask, but he did anyway.

“What… what is it?” It was Doc who answered, sounding just as shocked as Iskall looked.

“We don’t know. It almost pulled us over the side while we were hauling it up. It got itself tangled in the nets, and we can’t get close enough to cut it free. But it's probably hurt from all that writhing, whatever it is.” 

X thought about that, then he pulled a small knife out of his pocket, slowly making his way over to the nets. He softly placed a hand on the thing, trying to convey some calmness to it. And maybe it worked, because the creature stopped moving so much. X carefully cut through some of the rope, making a hole big enough to pull the rest away. And what lay within scared him. It had the tail of a fish, long and yellow with a large flowing tail. But the upper body was that of a person. X guessed it was a he, from the mop of short brown hair he had, and the shape of his face. The creature looked scared though, his eyes wide and unseeing, and his mouth opening and closing silently. 

“Someone get water! It’s dying!” X saw it had small gills on either side of its neck, which were opening and closing slowly. Tango ran over with a bucket of sea water, and X poured it over the creature’s head. It relaxed a bit, looking less like it was suffocating, but still uncomfortable. Then Iskall said what everyone was thinking. 

“We have to get it back in the water.” They nodded, lifting it up and lowering over the edge, until it fell the remaining feet into the water. It swam deep into the water, looking more alive once it was submerged, its golden eyes glowing as it stared up at them. Then suddenly with a quick splash it whipped around and swam away, out of sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like this chapter. The action is really starting to pick up here, and it’s been really fun to write.


	3. Chapter 2 - Injuries and Tired Recoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Didn’t Impulse tell everyone to be careful around ships? It turns Out he's not the best at taking his own advice.

Stress held Impulse’s arm in place, wrapping it in kelp to help the wound close. Normally she would have told him how he had to be more careful, and ask what he was thinking — but he had looked so tired and scared that she hadn’t had the heart to. He had disappeared for hours earlier, and they had all been worried. And when he had shown up, practically unconscious and injured, they had all been panicked to say the least. Scar had found him floating just under the surface of the water, and Ren and Mumbo had gone and helped bring him over. Now she and Joe were tending to his wounds, waiting for him to be more awake to see what had happened. They were in a small cave they had found, so they could be out of danger for a short while. Normally they were on the move, never staying in the same place twice, but staying within the boundaries of the reef. 

They were stuck in the reef. It was a part of their arrangement, and they didn’t argue. The reef was large, and there were always new areas to explore. It tended to be quiet, mostly small fish and the occasional shark. It was good.  
Stress heard a knock on the outside of the cave, and Ren swam in, Scar just behind him. 

“How is he?” Ren looked worried, seeing how pale and tired Impulse looked. 

“He’s stable. He’ll be okay, we just need to keep an eye on him until he’s awake. I wish I knew what could have caused these cuts though.” Joe gestured to the kelp wraps on his arm and chest, which covered the cuts underneath. Scar piped up at that, seemingly remembering why he had come there.

“I think I might know what did it. Ren and I were outside and we saw a small pirates’ ship up on the surface. They were staying in place through the night, and we decided to check it out. And as I thought, fishing nets.” He held up a piece of netting, the kind sailors used to catch large groups of fish as they went by. “He might have gotten caught up in them and pulled aboard, which would explain the cuts and the fatigue.” Stress shook her head, laughing softly.

“Impulse, of course you got caught in the nets. Let me guess, you were trying to help some fish get free. How many times have you told us to be careful of the ships that pass by. You need to take your own advice.”

At that Impulse’s eyes slowly opened, taking in the scene around him. He still looked tired, but at least he was awake. Scar ducked out of the room, calling behind him as he sped through the water. 

“I’ll go get Mumbo. I think he’s by the big coral.” Stress nodded to him and helped Joe to prop Impulse up, watching as his gills began to take in water more evenly, and he became more awake.

“So Impulse, I see you’ve woken up. You had us all worried there. Would you mind telling us what happened?” Impulse nodded, tired. He inhaled, preparing himself to recount… whatever it was that happened. He waited for a moment, thinking it over, and Scar swam in, followed by Mumbo, who looked worried, but somewhat relieved to see Impulse up.

“As you probably all guessed, yes, they were fishing and I wanted to try to stop them.” He ignored Stress’s disappointed huff, plowing on with his story. “They had way more than they needed. Practically an entire school. It was a surprisingly large net for such a small ship. But anyways, I was above it, trying to untie the knots holding it on, and I had managed to undo one. I was leaning into it, coaxing the fish out, but they started to pull the whole thing upwards. I was started, and fell in. The hole at the top was too small for me to swim out, but I tried to pull myself out using my arms. I got quite tangled, which I should have expected, and they pulled me up onto their ship. There were three of them, but I don’t remember what they looked like. I was trying to focus on breathing, and not cutting myself on the rope more. Then one of the humans started cutting through the ropes, and when they all saw me, they looked frightened.” Impulse looked down at his hands, sadness filling his eyes. “They must have figured out I was dying, but I was so lightheaded at that point it’s all pretty hazy. They threw me back over the side, and I got as far away from the ship before I guess I blacked out. What happened after that?” 

Stress took it all in. It explained the cuts, the unconsciousness, and the nets. It all made sense. And she was starting to feel more angry at Impulse for getting so hurt. Even though maybe it wasn’t entirely his fault. But it was Scar who answered Impulse’s question.

“I was curious about the ship too, I suppose. I was out in that direction, and I was lucky to see you floating down through the water, and Mumbo and Ren helped me bring you here. Joe and Stress have been wrapping your cuts. I’m just… I’m glad we saw you before anything else did.” Scar choked up at the end, and Stress put a comforting arm around his shoulders, squeezing lightly. She knew how frightened they all were about something happening to any of the others. Ren examined Impulse, checking out the wrappings over his injuries. 

“Hey man, do you want to go for a bit of a swim? Might make you feel a bit better to get into the open water.” Mumbo nodded at that idea.

“Yeah, we can help you along too if you need it.” Impulse sighed, pushing through the water experimentally. 

“Okay. A swim sounds nice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one’s a bit shorter, but I hope y’all like it anyway.


	4. Chapter 3 - Yellow Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tango can’t forget those yellow eyes he saw. Zedaph can’t either. It brings them back to the ocean again and again, until eventually they go in.

Tango leaned on the railing, taking in the ocean that spanned off to the horizon. He was searching in the darkness, not even knowing what he was looking for. He’d looked out his window and caught a glimpse of the weird fish thing the others had caught earlier. He didn’t know what it was, or how it existed, but ever since then, he couldn't stop thinking about it. He couldn’t sleep no matter how long he had laid there. His eyes had been open and his mind had been racing. 

And there had been an itch. A pull. He should be out here, in the ocean even. He had to see the creature again. But it was too late. He was dreadfully tired, swaying back and forth with the wind, not having enough energy to resist it. 

It was quiet, the only sound coming from the soft crashes of the waves against the ship. Tango inhaled the salty sea air, closing his eyes and trying to calm the itching sensation. 

He heard the quiet steps of someone who was trying not to scare him, but he kept his eyes closed for a moment longer. The footsteps came to a stop next to him, and the person knocked on the railing softly. He opened his eyes and saw a red looking Zedaph leaning his weight on the railing, gazing out at the water.

“Hey Tango. Why are you up? It’s late.” Tango shook his head and laughed under his breath.

“I could ask you the same thing Zed. But I couldn’t sleep. Wanted to see the ocean for a while.” It was partially the truth he decided, the only part of the night he could explain.

“Yeah me too. I had this weird feeling. Like…” He struggled to find the words to describe it, but Tango knew what he meant.

“An itch. A tug. A force pulling you against your own brain.” Zedaph nodded, peering at Tango quizzically.

“So you feel it too. Why? What is it?”

“I don’t know. But something is out there. I need to…” He trailed off, unsure how to continue. But he knew Zedaph understood what he meant.

“For now I can’t see anything out there. But I also can’t sleep. Do you want to go into the kitchens and play cards?” Tango nodded his agreement, following as Zedaph walked across the deck and down the stairs, into the heart of the ship.

The next morning, Tango opened his eyes, squinting at the harsh lights of the kitchen. Zedaph and he must have fallen asleep last night eventually, seeing they were still in their seats at the large table, where they had been playing cards.   
But someone had come in and put the cards away, draping a blanket over each of their shoulders. He figured it was still before sunrise when people would start to come down to eat, but he couldn’t see outside so he didn’t know exactly. Across the table from him, Zedaph began to stir, yawning and lifting his head up tiredly. His hair stood up in all directions, and Tango figured he didn’t look much better. 

At that moment Grian walked down the stairs, looking startled to see them there.  
“Oh hey guys! Guess you couldn’t sleep? Good thought to bring blankets. I never think that far ahead.” 

“Oh no, we don’t that far ahead either. Someone must have found us in the middle of the night and brought us blankets.” Grian nodded quickly, moving past them. Tango noticed he had circles under his eyes, perhaps revealing he hadn’t slept very well either. Tango suddenly realized that maybe it was Grian himself who had brought the blankets. He tried to figure out how to ask Grian, but by the time he had thought of anything, Grian had already slipped out silently, an apple in hand.  
He stood up, looking to Zedaph, who seemed on the verge of falling back to sleep. 

“Well I’d better get going. Someone has to put the nets up.” Zedaph nodded, and Tango made his way up the stairs, going through the daily routine of pulling up the nets and throwing out a new one, watching as the ship woke up, bustling with life in the early hours of the morning.

Time passed quickly, seemingly blowing away on the salty wind that got caught in the sails that pulled them ahead. They were within the reach of a large coral reef, one that spanned off into the horizon in every direction. It was also their point of interest on this trip, the reason they were out here. 

It was to be their new source of money. Find rare pieces of coral, maybe some pearls if they were lucky, and bring them back to the trading villages on the coast. 

Tango wandered the deck, making the same rounds he usually did, seeing if anyone needed help. It was an hour until the next rounds of fishing had to be brought up, so he usually lended a hand where he could. 

Grian gave him a thumbs up from the crow’s nest, showing he was all good up there. Zedaph ran around the kitchen looking frazzled, but everything smelled great, and he had managed to yell to Tango that he was okay. Bdubs in the basement, arranging the storage and shelving to be easier to reach, and everything was going well there. Etho was fixing up some of the mechanical components for defense and such, and with a puff of smoke, Etho began to put things away, and Tango decided he was okay. Up on the deck, Cleo and False were practicing their fighting, False hitting a dummy that was barely held together, while Cleo did target practice. The last person to check on was Xisuma, who was in charge of steering the ship, although he’d usually hold a conversation with anyone who passed and had free time. 

They chatted for a few minutes as they sailed straight ahead, talking about the weather or whatever else they thought of. Tango heard a call from Doc, and he waved to X, heading back to the nets. They pulled up their usual amount of small fish, enough to last them a couple days. They’d bring some down to the kitchens to Zedaph, and put the rest in storage. By that point the sun was high in the sky, and everyone began to head inside again to eat. Zedaph brought out bowls of soup for everyone, and they all dug in, hungry from the morning’s work. 

Zedaph stood up halfway through the meal, empty bowl in hand. As he passed Tango, he gestured for him to follow. Tango stood up, placing his still only half-finished soup down on the counter. The two of them made their way up the stairs, out onto the deck, the space all to themselves. 

Zedaph leaned on the rail, pulling himself up to sit on it, his legs swinging out over the ocean. Tango did the same, careful to hold on as he sat. 

“Do you ever think about it? How we’re out here, floating on a piece of wood, out of reach of anyone else, in an element we don’t even really belong in?” Zedaph spoke softly, facing out to the horizon, and Tango wondered if he was even talking to him at all.

“I guess so. I sometimes wonder how we’re here. There’s the more philosophical ‘how did we get here’ but there’s also the more literal ‘how does this chunk of wood hold eleven people without sinking’. And then other times I have to tell myself it doesn’t really matter. Because we're out here.   
And I don’t need to be questioning that all the time, I guess.” Zedaph didn’t respond, instead moving to have his feet on the top of the railing, and then he stood up, balancing precariously on the edge. He stuck his arms out, letting the wind pull at him, laughing out as loud as he could. 

“Y’know, I’ve always wanted to do this!” He continued to laugh, whooping as the wind picked up.

“Zed, be careful up there.” Tango leaned over to try to grab Zedaph, to hold him in place, but at that moment Zedaph slipped, flailing his arms wildly, plummeting towards the water. 

Without a second thought, Tango dove after him, the water chilling him on impact. But it didn’t matter. He dove deeper and deeper, until his lungs began to protest, and his eyes struggled to make anything out in the darkness. 

He was running out of air, he was so tired, he couldn’t reach the surface. He closed his eyes, allowing the water to press in around him, to pull him into its reaches. 

But a cold hand jolted him awake again. And all he saw was a pair of yellow eyes, unmistakable, even as he lost consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I know it’s been a few days. I wanted to make this a good chapter, and a lot has been going on here lately, and I just couldn’t get it out. But it’s here now, so I hope you like it.


	5. Chapter 4 - Letters and Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cleo writes letters to her best friend. And maybe one day he’ll see them.

Cleo put her head down on the table, unable to hold it up anymore. She sat at the small desk in her quarters, covered in papers dating back years, spanning up until the most recent one, yesterday. She didn’t know why she wrote them. She didn’t even know who she was writing to anymore.

That wasn’t exactly true. She was writing to her best friend in the entire world. The one she missed every day since the day he fell into the water. She wrote to him because she always told him everything. They had told each other every thought they had. And she didn’t plan on stopping. It wasn’t as though she didn’t have anyone to talk to either. She knew the entire crew would be willing to listen to her if she talked to them.

But somehow this felt right. So each night she wrote the letters. They built up over time, records of everything that had happened to her. She had one for every day since he died. The first few were mostly angry, sad, tortured pleads. She’d begged him to come back to her. She’d known it wasn’t possible, but she couldn’t accept it. She refused to accept that her best friend in the entire universe was gone. 

Because nothing had ever gone right for her. The accidents when she was young, leaving her scared and alone, with more scars than she could count to remind her every day of what had happened. 

It had been her best friend who had taken her in, after convincing his parents. So her best friend had become her brother. And then when his parents got a job aboard the Serenity, the two of them had been happy to follow. 

They’d made fast friends with the rest of the Hermits, but they had always shared that special bond. Even after he had gone, she felt the bond there. It pulled her to the desk, to write these letters. It was almost as if she knew that somewhere, somehow, he was reading them. That somehow he knew. 

She took her quill, the only one she’d been able to afford, and dipped it lightly in her ink. She brought out a fresh sheet of paper, and began to write.

_Dear Joe,_

_How was your day? Mine was good. Target practice with False, as usual. But I don’t suppose that’s the interesting part. Last night, the fishers found something. Doc was telling me about it. Apparently it was some fish person. I’m not sure I believe him, but the others swear it’s true. Supposedly its eyes glowed yellow, and its shimmered gold. Sounds kind of cool. I know you’d have a field day with it though. Totally something you could write a poem about._

__

_Y’know, I really miss your poems. I still have a couple, the ones you gave me. Like the one about the sunset, how it lit the sky up with the comforting flames of a hearth, outlined with the deep hues of the depths of the ocean. I absolutely don’t have that memorized. I don’t look at it one the days when I miss you even more, when it hurts so much that I don’t think I can get up. And don’t worry, I’ve tried my hardest to not get tears on the pages. After all, it’s all I have left of you. Besides these letters of course._

____

_Sometimes when I’m writing them I hear your voice in the back of my head, reading these out loud to yourself, maybe to me too. But it’s the voice of a child. The voice you spoke in when you fell. I’m sure you would sound much older now, but I can’t picture it. I wonder, would you still have that accent? I ask myself these things every day, even though I know I’ll never know the answer._

____

_Just like everything about you. I’ll never know. I’ll never know what you look like at 15, or 20, or what glasses you’d wear, or what mannerisms you’d have, what inside jokes you’d make, or what kind of ice cream you’d like the best.  
Probably some obscure flavor like key lime, or pistachio._

_____ _

_____ _

_I still miss you, it still hurts. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?_

______ _ _

______ _ _

_Love, Cleo_

_____ _

_____ _

_____ _

She sighed and rolled up the letter tightly, her grip on it so tight that her knuckles began to turn white. She heard a knock on the door, but before she could call to the person to come in, the door opened, and False poked her head in. 

_____ _

“Hey Cleo. Come on, something’s happened.” Cleo quickly stood up, following False out the door as False ran across the deck, seemingly in a panic.

_____ _

“Wait, what’s happened?” She called out ahead to her, and she could see a group gathering at the rail, peering over the edge. It was Grian who answered. He seemed in shock, looking at her but not seeming to really see her.

_____ _

“They… they fell. They fell and I couldn’t do anything to stop them. They’re gone.” She didn’t understand. Everyone looked so sad.

_____ _

“Who? Who fell?” And at that moment she was hit with the realization. Two people were missing from the group.

_____ _

“Tango and Zedaph. They’re gone.” No. No no no. It couldn’t be true. This couldn’t be happening. Not again. She felt the tears welling up, and her ears started to ring. She clamped her hands over her ears as the tears fell, muttering under her breath. No. She felt hands on her shoulders, concerned voices asking if she was okay, what could they do. But they were all static. 

_____ _

Then one voice broke through, clear as day.

_____ _

“Cleo, stay calm. Breath. Inhale, exhale.” She hiccuped, the tears slowing. She nodded, and opened her eyes. But she couldn’t find the source of the voice. All of the others were blurry, talking to each other, panicking as Cleo broke down. 

_____ _

And she knew who it was who had spoken to her.  
And she also knew it was impossible. Because Joe wasn’t here. Joe couldn’t be here. She pushed passed the others, even as they called to her, trying to reach out to her. She clenched the railing, leaning on it, looking out at the ocean. A soft breeze blew her hair across her face, and with a gasp, the letter slipped out of her grasp. 

_____ _

It drifted across the the surface of the water, quickly out of reach. It fluttered further and further away, slowly approaching the surface of the water. But just before it hit the water, a hand reached up and trapped it, soon followed by a head and shoulders. A head with piercing blue eyes, eyes she would never forget.

_____ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y’all I hope you like this one.
> 
> I listened to sad music while writing this one so blame that.


	6. Chapter 5 - Reuniting Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe and Cleo catch up on all they’ve missed, and go to reunite the others too.

Joe held the piece of paper in his grip, somehow understanding what it was. He stared at the ship from a distance, a group of people seemingly watching him in wonder. And all of a sudden one of them dove over the edge, quickly swimming towards him. 

He recognized her in the depths of his being. Cleo. He propelled himself towards her as fast as the water would take him, and the two of them collided in a tangle of arms and tears and smiles.

Cleo had her head buried in his shoulder, hair plastered against her face. And with a start he realized she was crying. He was crying too. 

She pulled back for a moment, Joe keeping them afloat as he moved his tail back and forth. She stared at him, as if taking him in for the first time. 

She looked so much older. Beautiful. Her hair was a bright orange with flowers stuck in it. Her eyes were a bright, curious teal. She almost glowed with warmth, her smile radiating the same happy energy it always had. 

Suddenly she shoved him away, seeming to let out all the thought she had pent up for years. 

“What were you thinking? You have to be careful in storms! You… you left me alone.” She looked down, a wave of sadness overtaking her. She swam back, pulling him another hug. “I don’t know how you’re here, but never leave me again.” He rubbed circles on her back, attempting to calm her down.

“I don’t plan on it.”

Joe had swum them back to the Legacy, and now Cleo sat on the edge, legs swinging through the air as Joe swam in circles below. They had spent the whole day talking, catching up on years of friendship. Joe only just managed to build up the courage to ask the question that had been on his mind.

“So… why the letters? Why keep writing them?” She had gotten a whole stack of them, and he’d spent over two hours reading every single one. And somehow, nothing that was written surprised him. As if a part of him already knew.

“I guess a part of me felt like you were reading them somehow. It felt like I was still talking to you. And I guess it actually paid off in the end.” He nodded, understanding what she meant.

“The whole time we were out here, I never worried about you. I knew you were okay. I didn’t know where you were, or what you were doing, but you were okay. I could feel it.” Cleo smiled, not even questioning his answer. Then she suddenly leaned forwards, as if excited.

“There are more like you, aren’t there?” She gestured to his tail, which almost matched the color of the warm water. “The others are like you too, right? We saw one the other day. Yellow.” 

“Yes. That was Impulse, he got caught in your nets trying to free some fish. But there’s also Stress, Mumbo, Ren, and Scar. We never knew what happened to any of you. But we remembered our childhoods.” 

“But how are you alive? How did you not die in that storm?” Joe knew the answer, but he sighed, trying to figure out how to phrase it.

“I think we did die. But something in the reef brought us back. Like this. We have to serve it though. It wants us to do something for it, and until then we’re stuck within the boundaries of the reef. We try to leave, but it’s as if there’s an invisible wall we can’t pass. So we’ve learned to live here, figure out what it wants from us.” 

Cleo nodded silently, seeming to have gotten lost in thought. And then she stood up with a start, as if she’d just remembered something important. 

“Oh! Iskall, Grian, Doc, and Cub! They’ll be so excited to see the others!” Those four had been the best friends of the four other mermaids, each pair having a bond similar to their own. She didn’t bring up Tango or Zedaph, the two still missing somewhere along with Impulse. Joe figured they were safe, back in the cave, but he’d check later.

“I’ll go get Ren, Scar, Stress, and Mumbo, you get the others.” Cleo ran towards the heart of the ship, and Joe dove back under the surface of the water, calling out for the other mermaids. They ducked around a tall piece of coral, seemingly having been watching some fish swim in and out of it. But he had gotten their attention.

“Guys, the ship. It’s not what you think.” Stress rolled her eyes when he mentioned the ship, but he quickly explained. “No, you don’t understand. Guys, it’s them. The Hermits. They’re here.” There were fours gasps, wide eyes, and what looked like they could be tears. Scar responded first, almost hesitantly.

“Are… are you sure? How do you know it’s them?” 

“I saw all of them. And I talked to Cleo. They’re all okay. She’s getting Cub, Doc, Iskall, and Grian now. You guys can see them.” He heard giddy laughter and cheering, and as a group the five of them raced back to the ship, riding the currents in the water with more hope than they’d had in years. 

Yeah, they’d be okay. Everything was okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ones a bit shorter sorry. 
> 
> Also I know it’s been a couple days since the last chapter, I found it difficult to write this. But I think it turned out pretty good.


	7. Chapter 6 - Caves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Impulse has waisted years to see his two best friends again. He’s not going to let them die now. Not if he can help it.

Impulse was tired. He’d watched from afar, he’d seen them fall. He didn’t know what he should do. Eventually the panic won out, and he’d swam after them, determined to save them. Zed was further down, more at a loss for air with the shock of falling. Tango was slightly closer to the surface of the water, seemingly torn between reaching Zed and going back up for air. 

Both of them were only half awake, mouths shut and eyes wide. He looped one arm around Zed, powering up and grabbing Tango by the arm. He propelled forwards, dependent on his tail alone to get him through the water fast enough. 

Nearby there was a cave with a pocket of air in it, which Impulse decided was the perfect place to head. He ducked and weaved around coral, trying his best to make sure Tango and Zed didn’t get hurt. Finally he came to a stop just inside the lip of the cave, where some ledges jutted out of the water and into a dark cavern. 

He lifted up Tango and Zed, carefully but tiredly laying them down on one of the ledges. His arms shook with the strain of having carried them all the way over, and he sunk into the water and tried to take a breath. 

The only thing he could do was wait, and hope. Hope that they woke up, that the others were okay, that they wouldn’t worry about him. It would all be fine.

Impulse waited for them to wake up, his levels of panic only rising with the silence of his friends. Finally he heard a cough, and Zed was awake with a start, coughing and spluttering the water out of his lungs. Impulse rushed over, reaching up to try to help in some way, but there wasn’t much he could do. So he waited as Zed’s breathing became steadier, until he stopped coughing. And that was when he spoke.

“How are you feeling? Do you think anything is broken? I tried to do what I could, but something might have happened.” Zed whipped around, seemingly only then becoming aware of Impulse beside him. Zed looked down, shaking out his arms and legs, then stretching out. 

“Everything seems to be okay, but…” He looked closer at Impulse, taking in his face. “Is it really you? Impulse?” 

Impulse nodded, trying to figure out how to respond. “Yes it is me. I just have a tail now I guess. When we fell all those years ago, well the best we can figure is that we died. And then we were brought back like this. And now we’re confined to the barriers of the reef.” 

“Do you know why you’re stuck here?” Impulse nodded, looking down at his arm. He sighed, and held it out to Zed, forearm up. On the surface of his skin was what looked to be a crystal. It was a delicate white color, but was surrounded by a yellow glow. 

“We each have these. It’s some sort of symbol, the mark of whatever brought us here. My theory is it wants us to find something. Maybe this crystal. The others aren’t sure, but I don’t know why else it’d be there.” 

Just as he finished speaking, there was a splash behind them. They whipped around, watching as Tango slid off the ledge and into the water. Impulse’s eyes widened, and he swam over as fast as his tail could take him, trying to pull Tango up above the surface.

He pulled away as soon as he made contact with Tango’s skin, for it was burning hot. Impulse couldn’t grab him, couldn’t help. They just watched as Tango sank down, a small trail of bubbles the only sign of life. But then the bubbles stopped. 

“He’s dying! I can’t let him—” He was cut off by a flash of light, and both he and Zed turned around, arms up to shield their eyes. The light faded away, and all that was left was silence.

“I’m going to dive down.” Zed nodded in response, and Impulse used all the force he could in the small space to propel himself down into the depths of the cave. But what he saw startled him. 

There was Tango, his eyes wide and searching. But they were different now. They were a bright, powerful red, glowing slightly in the dark water. Tango used his arms to break the surface, and once the two of them were back to Zed, Impulse could really see what had happened. 

His neck had slits on the sides matching Impulse's gills. And when he moved to get a better angle to see the others, Impulse and Zed gasped. Just under the surface was a brilliant red and yellow spotted tail. It moved back and forth slowly, Tango unsure how to use it.

“Tango! You’re, you’re like Impulse!” Zed was in shock from his perch above the water, his outburst causing Tango to look down in surprise. 

“I- Yeah I guess I am? How did this- How did this happen?” He looked up to Impulse, his red eyes full of fear. 

“I don’t know. I guess… I guess you died. Can I see your arm please?” Tango looked confused, holding out his arm for Impulse to see, using the other one to hold onto the rocky ledge. 

Carefully, Impulse turned over Tango’s arm, there it was, just as he expected. The white crystal, but with a red and yellow glow around it. 

“So I guess the force has claimed you too. Well, we have to go find the others, tell them what happened. Do you think you can swim?” Tango let go of the wall, using his tail to keep himself above the surface. He nodded.

“What about me? I can’t swim that far.” Impulse reached out to Zed, pulling him off the ledge and into a sort of makeshift hug.

“Hold on Zed. Let’s go.” And with that they were off, heading towards the silhouette of the ship in the distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven’t updated this haha. I finally got a bit of inspiration for this today. I hope you guys liked it!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys like this so far. I know it’s kind of short but it’s mostly just a prologue.


End file.
